Lifespan Design Studio offers architectural studies, planning, and design services for senior centers nationwide.

Douglas J Gallow Jr., AIA, NCARB Ellen R Gallow, CAPS 554 Baxter Road Loveland, OH 45140 513.444.4877 info@lifespandesignstudio.com www.lifespandesignstudio.com

© 2018

Take a moment to think about the places you like to go, and the things that you most enjoy doing in your community. At what age will you be ready to give these things up – 75? 85? We only had to experience the eye-opening speed with which we passed 50 and then 60 to realize how uncomfortable and unnerving this question really is. What should age have to do with the enjoyment of our favorite restaurants, theatres, stores, or parks? It’s only human to comfort yourself with the belief that you will somehow be exempt from the physical and cognitive challenges that many older adults encounter in trying to make

use of places that are central to their definition of a full life. Besides, the ADA has that covered, right? Many people – even design professionals, are surprised to learn that this isn’t true, when in fact: • Accessibility is a huge and

multi-dimensional issue addressed only at its most basic level through ADA compliance, and

• Numerous issues not specifically associated with accessibility may profoundly impact the usability of a constructed environment for some individuals.

While this article focuses on issues that frequently impact older adults, it’s important to bear in mind that individuals of any age may be sim-

Design for Aging in Community

lifespan perspective A different way of looking at design

Get Inspired! Lifespan Design Studio was honored to work with the City of Amarillo Texas and its partners on a study focused on the creation of a coor-dinated senior services network. Join us with Senior Services Coordinator Linda Pitner and Senior Services Specialist Jill Jackson Ledford at the NANASP-NISC 2018 Joint conference for:

A Path to the Future of Senior Services: One Community’s Journey

June 7, 2018 at 4:15 PM

www.nanasp.org/NANASP-NISC-2018JointConference

The Lifespan-led study team completed the conceptual design of a hypothetical facility to support the project-ted programs and services. Concept rendering (below) by GSB Inc. (Oklahoma City) based upon the space plan developed by Lifespan Design Studio.

and living a full life!

ilarly impacted. Design for Aging in Community is not easily separated from the pursuit of design for a more livable, welcoming community for all ages, nor should it be. The dictionary defines access as the right or opportunity to use or benefit from something, but injects the concept of disability as a qual-ifier when defining accessibility as the quality of being easily reached, entered, or used, regardless of disability. This illustrates the way in which we are conditioned to place blame for an individual’s inability to make successful use of a building or amenity upon their disability, when in fact the individual is disabled by design that doesn’t effectively support their needs. When we regard human capacities as a spectrum that we all navigate in different and unpredictable ways throughout our lifetime, we become much more motivated to appreciate the value of design that will work with us when any of those capa-cities are compromised. Tragically, it seems to take a catastrophic change in our own lives, or the heartbreak of watching our aging parents’ world become smaller and more dangerous, to open our eyes to problems in the constructed environment that are pretty obvious once we choose to see them. Listed here are some of the most frequently encountered design-imposed challenges to user-friendliness in the buildings and places that make up our commu-nities. Only when design profes-sionals, decision makers, and the people they serve come to understand the impact of these shortcomings will we begin to re-shape constructed environments to support everyone’s active engagement throughout a lifetime.

Common Design-based Challenges to Successful Aging in Community 1. Site Navigation Issues

(vehicular and pedestrian)

a. The site is difficult or stressful to access and navigate by vehicle

b. Pedestrian navigation and use of assistive devices within the site is uncom-fortable or dangerous due to curbs, irregular sur-faces, danger from walk-ing in driveways, inade-quate lighting, etc.

2. Parking-related Challenges

a. Inadequate parking in reasonable proximity to the entrance/destination

b. Insufficient reserved accessible parking

3. Challenges to Navigation, Ease of Use, and Our Physical/Mental Comfort

a. Excessive travel distances or complex accessible routes between destin-ations within the building or site

b. Accessibility accommo-dations are stigmatizing

c. Insufficient clearances cramp or limit access

d. Uncomfortable or unsafe flooring compromises ease and/or confidence in navigating the building

e. Poor color definition of edges and transitions undermines safe, confi-dent navigation and use

f. Insufficient lighting and/or poor light management

g. Uncomfortable sound environment, unsupported audio transmission

h. Uncomfortable temper-ature environment

i. Seating is uncomfortable or difficult to access/exit

j. Restroom locations are excessively remote or challenging to access

k. Poor restroom design challenges ease of use with dignity